ATLANTA, Ga. (WALB) - Bobby Cox, the manager who guided the Atlanta Braves through one of the most successful runs in baseball history and became one of the sport’s most recognizable figures in the dugout, has died. He was 84, the team announced Saturday.

“Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him,” the team’s statement said. “...And while Bobby’s passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family.”

Cox was born May 21, 1941, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He later moved to California and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1959, according to his National Baseball Hall of Fame biography.

His playing career was brief but set the stage for a life in the game. Cox spent five seasons in the Dodgers’ farm system, primarily at second and third base, before the Chicago Cubs selected him in the 1964 draft. He was traded to the Braves in April 1966, then dealt to the New York Yankees after the 1967 season. He made his major league debut in 1968.

Cox played two seasons with the Yankees as a third baseman before knee problems ended his playing career.

He moved quickly into managing, beginning in the Yankees’ organization in 1971. Cox took his first job at Fort Lauderdale in the Florida State League, then spent a season at West Haven in the Eastern League before managing Syracuse for four seasons. He won the International League’s Governor’s Cup in 1976 and later served as the Yankees’ first base coach during their 1977 championship season.

In 1977, Braves owner Ted Turner hired Cox to manage Atlanta, making him the club’s eighth manager in 12 years and, at 36, the youngest manager in the National League.

Cox’s first stint with the Braves ran from 1978-81 before leaving for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1985, Cox led Toronto to 99 wins and within one game of reaching the World Series.

Later that year, Cox returned to Atlanta as general manager, a move that eventually led him back to the dugout.

After finishing last in the National League West in 1990, the Braves won the division the next season. It was the beginning of 14 consecutive division titles under Cox, a run that reshaped both the franchise and the city’s identity as a baseball town.

Atlanta reached the World Series five times with Cox as manager and captured the title in 1995, when the Braves beat Cleveland in six games. The victory delivered Atlanta its first professional sports championship.

Cox retired after the 2010 season. Over 29 seasons as a major league manager, he finished with 2,504 wins, the fourth-most in big league history, including a franchise-record 2,149 with Atlanta.

He was named Manager of the Year four times, once with Toronto in 1985 and three times with the Braves in 1991, 2004 and 2005. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.